Sealing closure



1 F. M. HAGMANN ETAL 3,122,255

SEALING CLOSURE Filed Nov. 14, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Fain-1e A4. /4aM4A/4/ 4251/5. 64M4M 41 5527 a Maze/5 i arwe 25, 1964 F. M. HAGMANN ETAL 3,122,255

SEALING CLOSURE Filed NOV. 14, 1960 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TORS 55766 M/VQGMm/A/ #425 5. Gav/4M eezer 6f MaeeAs United States Patent SEALING CLOSURE Foster M. Hagmann, 1001 3rd St, Santa Monica, Calif.; Hazen B. Graham, 746 Cory Drive, Inglewood, Calif; and Robert B. Morris, 20616 Qued'o Drive, Woodlmd Hills, Calif; said Graham and said Morris assignors of fourteen and two-thirds percent to said Hagmann,

and fourteen percent to Wanda L. Pratt Filed Nov. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 68,759 6 Claims. (Cl. 215-40) a flat disc or gasket seal made of cork, cardboard, or

rubber. from the standpoint of initial pressure or vacuum sealing, and also from the standpoint of reusability. The inefficiency of the seal limits the shelf life of the product stored in the container before initial opening, and also the period of use of the product, since the container can not be effectively resealed once it has been opened.

While the disadvantages of these conventional seals have long been known, more eflicient seals, such as known precision fitted types, have not been used because their cost is too great to justify use on disposable containers.

Seals of the O-ring type have many advantages and are well known for use in applications where dependable and durable sealing is required. They will seal effectively under light sealing pressures in either pressure or vacuum applications. In addition, they are fully reusable, and when constructed of a suitable material, are noncontaminating and impervious to most all chemical substances.

However, there are certain'heretofore insolvable problems encountered in connection with providing a satisfactory sealing closure incorporating an O-ring type seal.

As briefly mentioned, the use of precision fitted seals of any type, including the O-ring type, is not economically feasible on beverage bottles and the like. Such precision sealing is normally dependent upon the correct volumetric relationship between the sealing member and the confining groove, and requires close tolerance fits, close- 1y controlled inspection and testing, and other inherently expensive manufacturing procedures.

Further, a loosely carried O-ring type seal, as distinguished from a precision fitted O-ring type seal, is not desirable, especially where it is intended that the sealing device be reusable. It will be readily appreciated that if the O-ring is merely loosely carried in a groove, it will drop free when the sealing closure is removed from the container.

For these reasons, it has not been thought that O-ring type seals could be successfully used in low-cost massproduced sealing closures.

It is a .primary object of this invention to provide a highly effective sealing closure which can be economically mass-produced.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sealing closure of the type described which incorporates an O-ring type seal permanently held in assembly with the closure member irrespective of the association of the closure member and the container. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide an ef-' ficient and economically mass-producible sealingfclosure having a noncorrosive and noncontaminating sealinglining element.

Such seals are of limited utility, particularly 3,122,255 Patented Feb. 25, 1964 p we Still another object of the invention is to provide a container-sealing closure of the type described adapted to provide an efficient seal in spite of out-of-flat deviations in the container sealing surface.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood by referring to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a. fragmentary perspective view of a crown type bottle cap formed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sealing-lining element constructed in accordance with the in-' vention and adapted for use in conjunction with the cap I of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a full sectional view showing the assembled sealing closure in place on a crown-type bottle and the elements of a capping press at the completion of FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a screw-type cap carrying the sealing-lining element shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIGURE 6 except that a slightly modified form of sealing element is shown in assembly with the screw-type p;

FIGURE 8 is a full sectional view of the sealing closure illustrated in FIGURE 1 in place on a screw-type jar with no sealing pressure applied; and

FIGURE 9 is a half section similar to FIGURE 8 except that the cap is screwed down on the jar to apply sealing pressure.

7 Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, numeral 10 indicates a crown-type bottle cap which, in conjunction with a sealing-liningelement 20 shown in FIGURE 2, is adapted to serve as a sealing closure for a crown-type bottle. I

' The cap 10 includes generally a flat, central closure portion 11, a peripheral raised grooved portion 12 defining a seal-confining groove 13, and a flange or skirt 14 depending from the groove portion. The marginal portion 15 of the skirt M- is flared :outwardlyand serrated as at 16. As will later be explained, the marginal portion 15 of the cap is crimped inwardly during the bottle capping operation.

The cap 10 has annular, downwardly facing pressure ridges 17 and 18 adjacent to and on opposite sides of the mouth of groove 13. The inner ridge 17 is preferably formed by depression in the central portion 11, though in a broader sense it may be considered as the lower surface of the central portion 11 immediately adjacent the mouth of the groove 13. The outer ridge 18 is formed at the junction of the groove'portion 12 and the skirt 14.

The sealing-lining element 20, illustrated in FIGURE 2, is integrally formed of a resilient, deformable material of uniform thickness and includes a central disc or line-r portion 21 a continuous and downwardly depressed sealor groove portion 22, and a peripheral flange or liner portion 24. The lower surface 23 of the seal portion 22 is initially located below the plane of said disc and flange portion and is adapted to engage in sealing contact with a. surface of the bottle in a manner which will later be explained in detail. As will also be more fully explained,

the seal portion 22, in cross section, is preferably of arcuate shape so as to effect maximum sealing.

The element 20* may be conveniently formed with the shape described above by stamping it'from a thin sheet of suitable material. Thus, the element 2% is economical both from the standpoint of the cost of the material and from the standpoint of manufacturing costs. In addition to having the advantages of O-ring sealing, as will hereinafter be set forth, the element 26.} also is adapted to serve as a non-corrosive and noncontaminating liner for the cap it).

In order that the cap in the element 20 may cooperate to serve their intended function, the outside diameter of the peripheral flange portion 24 of element 20" is such that the element is receivable in the cap. In the same regard, the depressed portion 22 of element 2t}, and the cap groove 13- are necessarily adapted to be aligned with each other and additionally the mouth of the groove is of sufficient width and the grove is of sufficient size, that the seal portion is receivable and confinable entirely within the groove.

As previously mentioned, it is desired to permanently retain the element 2% in assembly with the cap its even prior to installation on the bottle. To this end, the skirt 14 is formed with detent means which is shown as a series of angularly spaced and inwardly projecting dimples or detents 14a, but which may alternately take the form of an annular ring.

In assembling the cap It) and the element 20 for use, the liner flange 24 is merely sprung over the detents 14a, whereupon the element is resiliently maintained between the ridges l7 and 18 of the cap and the detents. As may be seen in FIGURE 3, when the element is properly assembled in the cap it the depressed seal portion 22 of element 20 is aligned with and extends away from the cap groove 13.

The cap it; fitted with the sealing-lining element 2% in the manner described above is adapted to be applied to a standard crown-type bottle 30. As illustrated in FIG- URE 3, the bottle 30 has an overhanging lip 31 presenting an annular shoulder 32 facing oppositely from the top surface of the lip. The capping process is schematically shown at the completion of successive stages of progress in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5.

A capping press, including a pressure foot 46 and a crown block 41, is shown for applying the cap 10 to the bottle 33. The pressure foot 40 has an outside diameter in its cap-engaging portion Atti a approximately equal to the diameter of the inner pressure ridge 17 of the cap.

The pressure foot 40 preferably has an enlarged upper portion 4% adapted to function as a guide for the concentrically mounted crown block 41 which, in turn, is vertically movable relative thereto. The lower end of the crown block 41 is flared or tapered outwardly as at 43 to accommodate the outwardly flared marginal portion of the cap skirt 14-.

In the initial step of the capping operation, illustrated in FIGURE 3, the cap 10' is placed over the lip 31 of the bottle 30 and the pressure foot 46 is lowered into engagement with its central portion 11. This engagement of pressure foot 40 causes the inner pressure ridge 17 of the cap to urge a limited area of the disc portion 21 of the element into pressural contact with the lip 31 of the bottle 30. Direct contact of the ridge 17 and the lip 31 is, of course, prevented by the disc portion 21. However, since the disc portion 21 is formed of a deformable and relatively thin material, a high unit pressure exists at the region of contact. This unit pressure is sutficiently high to prevent extrusion of the element 20* between the ridge and the bottle lip and hence the ridge 17 effectively functions as a dam.

The sealing-lining element 20, as previously described, normally has the grooved or depressed seal portion 22 of arcuate shape. Further, it is formed of a resilient, deformable material. Thus, element 20 is deformable but tends to retain, or attempts to return to, its original shape. The radius of curvature of the seal portion 22 of element 2% is relatively small and for this reason it has a greater tendency to resist deformation than the disc or flange portions 21 and 24, respectively. Therefore, as the pressure foot 40 descends into engagement with the cap 18, the seal portion 22 is urged into lip-engagement, but it tends to retain its arcuate shape. This causes an annular hump or ridge 45 to be formed in the disc portion 21 of element 2% within the groove 13.

During the second stage, illustrated in FIGURE 4, the crown block 41 descends around the mutually stationary bottle 36 and pressure foot 49 and engages the skirt 14. This causes the portion of the cap 10 outwardly of the inner pressure ridge 17 to pivot downwardly about that ridge as a fulcrum. Pivoting continues until the outer pressure ridge 18 urges a limited area of the liner flange portion 24 into pressural contaot with the bottle lip 31. As in the case of the inner ridge 17, the contacting area is relatively small so that a high unit pressure is applied, this pressure being sufficiently high to preclude extrusion of the element 28 between the opposing surfaces of the ridge 18 and the lip 31.

:As the outer pressure ridge is urged into lip contact, an outer annular hump 46 forms in the flange portion 24- of element 2Q for the same reason as was discussed in connection with the inner hump 45. At the compietion of this stage of the capping operation, the seal portion 22 is slightly deformed against the lip 31 and is confined within the groove 13 alone with the humps 4'5 and 46 between the inner and outer cap ridges 17 and i3.

(FIGURE 5 shows the various elements at the completion of the capping operation. During the final stage, the crown block it further descends from its position of FIGURE 4 to crimp the skirt 14 against the shoulder 32 to lock the cap on the bottle and maintain sealing pressure. T his crown block descension initially pulls the skirt 14 down flush with the lip 31 and slightly flattens the groove 13. Preferably, though not necessarily, the groove 13 is flattened so that its bottom surface engages the humps 45 and 46, thereby applying additional force to further deform the seal portion :22 against the lip so that a greater portion of surface 23 makes sealing contact with the lip 31. During the latter phase of its descension, the crown block wipes or slides over the skirt 14- to crimp it inwardly against the shoulder 32.

As previously noted it is desired that the seal portion 22:, in cross section, have an arcuate periphery. Such a peripheral shape is desired in order to effect maximum sealing under normal conditions and also to provide effective scaling in spite of out-ofdlat deviations of the bottle lip. When the seal portion 22 has the preferred arcuate shape, deformation of the portion 22 and the area of contact of the surface 23 with the bottle lip 31 vary in accordance with the sealing pressure applied. For instance, when a light sealing pressure is applied, deformation and the resulting area of contact between the surface 23 and lip 31 are small so that the unit pressure is relatively high, thereby insuring maximum sealing for a given sealing pressure. On the other hand, as greater sealing pressure is applied, deformation and the area of contact increase, yet relatively high unit pressure is maintained.

Out-of-fl-at deviations in the bottle lip 31?. or tolerances of the cap 10 are accommodated by variations in the extent of deformation of the seal portion 22 and by variations in the area of the surface 23 contacting the lip 3-1 in the region of the deviation. For instance, if the lip deviation is on the low side in a particular region, there will be less deformation than normal of the seal portion 22 and the area of contact between the surface 23 and the lip in that region will be relatively small. However, as mentioned above, the unit pressure will be relatively high so that effective sealing is maintained in spite of the deviation. Conversely, if the deviation is on the high side, deformation and the area ofcon-tact in that regionwill, of course, be increased.

In essence, when the cap it} and the associated sealinglining element 20 are applied to the bottle 30, an O-ring type seal is provided. This is by reason of the seal portion 22 of element 20 being sealingly deformed against the lip 31 of the bottle and confined within the groove 13. Because of the resiliency of the seal portion 22 it tends to return from its deformed toits original shape and thereby maintains high unit sealing pressure.

The seal provided has many of the desirable charac teristics of a loosely carried O-ring type seal. A high unit sealing pressure is maintained by virtue of deformation of the sealing portion 22 and variations in the area of contact between the seal portion 22 of element 20 and the bottle lip 31 in response to increased or decreased sealing pressure. Moreover, the seal portion 22 is freely movable from its normal position, illustrated in FIGURE 5, into abutment with either the inner or outer wall of the groove 13 in response to high positive or negative pressure nespec'tively, in the bottle 30. That is to say the seal portion 22 may be wedged ahead of the fluid pressure into contact with one of the side walls of the groove in a manner typical of O-ring sealing. As for ex ample, a high positive container pressure may urge the seal portion 22 of element 20 into abutment with the outer wall of the groove 13; Rather than causing a seal failure this pressure serves to tighten the seal. Such tightening continues in response to increases in container pressure until a limiting condition is reached when the cap deforms to permit extrusion of the element past the outer pressure ridge 13.

' Besides having these desirable characteristics, the seal provided eliminates aforementioned undesirable characteristics of the seals of most loosely carried O-ring type seals of the O-ring dropping free of the retainer member when the latter is removed from the container. Here the sealing-lining element is permanently retained in assembly with the cap, even when the cap is removed from the bottle.

Another use for the sealing-lining element 20 is where the screw-type cap 50 is to provide a sealing closure for an open-mouth jar 51 or the like. Such a sealing closure is shown in FIGURE 6 and also in progressive stages of installation on a jar 51 in FIGURES 8 and 9.

In order that sealing closures of the screw-type serve their intended function, they must seal effectively, yet have relatively low installation and removal torques. The present invention is particularly advantageous in this re gard.

Referring to FIGURE 6, the cap 50 includes generally a fiat lid portion 52 and a skirt portion 53. Adjacent to the periphery of the lid portion 52 are a pair of depressed or downwardly facing pressure beads or ridges 54 and 55 that cooperate to define a seal-confining groove 56. To insure that the seal portion 22 of the element 20 may be confined within the groove 56, the radial spacing of the mutually concentric pressure ridges 54 and 55, i.e., the width of the groove 56, is greater than the corresponding width of the seal portion 22. Further, for reasons that will later be explained, the depth of the groove is preferably substantially equal to that of the seal portion 22 and the walls of the groove preferably taper inwardly toward the bottom thereof.

The jar 51 has an externally threaded rim 60 and a sealing surface or lip 61 on the rim adapted to be engaged by the lower arcuate surface 23 of the seal portion 22. The skirt 53 is provided with threads, as at 57, complementary to those on the rim 60 so that the cap may be screwed onto the jar.

Detent means 63 including an annular ring, as shown, or a series of angularly spaced dimples are provided on the cap 50 for retaining the element 20 in assembly with the cap in the manner described in connection with the previous embodiment. It will be appreciated that retaining the element 20in assembly with the cap 50 is especially important since removal and reinstallation of a screw-type cap normally take place quite frequently. i

In the first step of the capping operation, illustrated in FIGURE 8, the sealing closure including the cap 50 and the element 20 are placed over the rim .60 of the jar 51. The cap is then screwed down over the threads on the rim,

causing the lower surface 23 of the seal portion 22 of the element 20 to seat on the lip. As the cap 50 is further screwed down on the jar 51, the sealing portion 22 is confined within the groove 56 anddeformed againstthe lip 61 to effect sealing. I

The sealing closure and the jar are shown at the completion of the capping operation in FIGURE 9, the cap 50 having been screwed down on the jar. As in the case It will be noted that annular humps 64 and 65 form in the element 20. As briefly mentioned above, the groove 56 is preferably of a depth substantially equal to that of the seal portion 22. p humps 64 and 65 will abut the bottom of the groove 56 to further tighten the seal in the manner discussed in connection with the crown-type sealing closure.

Out-of-flat deviations of the bottle lip 61 and tolerances of the cap 50 are here accommodated, as in the case of the previous embodiment, by variations in the extent of deformation of the seal portion 22 and by variations in the area of the surface 23 contacting the lip 61 in the region of the deviation.

A slightly modified form of sealing element 70, in cooperation with the cap 50, is illustrated in FIGURE 7. The element does notinclude a central liner portion, but instead includes a relatively narrow flange 71 which is adapted to be engaged by the inner pressure ridge54. Such an element may be used advantageously to reduce the material costs where the cap itself is chemically inert to the substance stored in the container. It will be ap-.

preciated that the element 70 may be used in connection with either a crown or screw-type cap to provide an effective sealing closure. However, it has particular merit in connection with large diameter screw-type caps where the savings of material are considerable. I

It will be appreciated that we have provided sealing closures which are dependable, durable and efiicient in carrying out their intended function, yet which may be economically mass-produced.

Although certain embodiments of our invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various changes in design, construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim: 1. A sealing device for a crown-type bottle having an overhanging lip adjacent its mouth presenting an annular shoulder facing oppositely from the top of said lip, comprising: a cap formed of a thin workable material and having a central closure portion, a peripheral raised groove portion defining a continuous groove, and a depending skirt adapted for locking engagement with said shoulder; and a resilient, deformable sealing-lining element carried by said cap and including a central liner portion, a continuous projecting seal portion comprising a downwardly extending concavo-convex bead initially carried adjacent the mouth of and extending oppositely from said groove, and a peripheral liner portion extending outwardly from said seal portion in substantial coplanar relationshipwith said central liner portion, saidseal portion being adapted to be confined within said groove and This is desired in order thatthe I sealingly deformed against said lip during said locking engagement of said skirt with said shoulder.

2. A sealing closure for a crown-type bottle having an overhanging lip adjacent its mouth presenting an annular shoulder facing oppositely from the top of said lip, comprising: a cap formed of a thin workable material and having a central closure portion, a peripheral raised groove portion defining a continuous groove, annular inner and outer pressure ridges adjacent to and on opposite sides of the mouth of said groove, and a skirt portion adapted for locking engagement with said shoulder; and a resilient, deformable sealing-lining element fitted in said cap and having a central disc portion, a continuous projecting seal portion aligned with and initially disposed entirely out of said groove, said seal portion having, in cross section, an arcuate exterior surface located below the plane of said disc portion and adapted to be sealingly engaged against the top of said lip, and a peripheral flange portion extending outwardly from said seal portion, said ridges being adapted to urge limited areas of said disc and flange portion into pressural contact with said lip during said locking engagement of said skirt portion with said shoulder, thereby deforming said seal portion upwardly into and confining it within said groove and sealingly engaging said arcuate surface of said seal portion with said lip.

3. A sealing closure for an open-mouth container having an externally threaded rim and an upwardly facing sealing surface on said rim, comprising: a screw-type cap including a lid having a grove portion defining a continuous seal-confining groove bounded on its opposite sides by inner and outer, downwardly facing pressure ridges, and an internally threaded skirt adapted for threaded engagement with said rim; and a resilient, deformable element of uniform thickness carried by said cap and having a continuous seal portion comprising a downwardly facing concavo-convex bead aligned with and initially disposed out of said groove and substantially coplanar inner and outer portions extending radially from said seal portion, said pressure ridges being adapted to urge subjacent limited areas of said coplanar portions of said element downwardly into pressural engagement with the sealing surface and deform it upwardly into confinement within said groove during the threaded engagement of said skirt with said container rim.

4. A sealing closure for a crown-type bottle having an overhanging lip adjacent its mouth presenting an annular shoulder facing oppositely from the top of said lip, comprising: a cap formed of a thin workable metal and having a central closure portion, a peripheral groove portion defining a continuous groove in the interior of said cap, continuous inner and outer pressure ridges adjacent to and on opposite sides of the mouth of said groove, and a skirt portion adapted for locking engagement with said shoulder; and a resilient, deformable sealing-lining element fitted in said cap adjacent said ridges and having a continuous seal portion comprising a concave-convex bead initially disposed in vertical alignment with and projecting away from said groove and adapted to be confined entirely therein, said inner ridge being adapted to urge a first subjacent, limited area of said element into pressural contact with the top of said lip and, thereafter, said outer ridge being adapted for pivoting downf5 wardly about said inner ridge as a fulcrum to urge a second subjacent, limited area of said element into pressural contact with the top of said lip, thereby deforming said seal portion upwardly into and confining it within said groove and simultaneously urging it into sealing engagement with the top of said lip.

5. A sealing closure for an open-mouth container having a rim adjacent its mouth with an upwardly facing sealing surface, comprising: a cap formed of a thin, ductile metal and havnig a central closure portion, a pcripheral groove ortion defining a continuous groove in the interior of said cap, a pair of continuous, downwardly facing pressure ridges adjacent to and on opposite sides of the mouth of said groove, and a skirt depending from said closure portion; means on said skirt adapted to cooperate with said rim to lock said cap on said container; and a resilient, deformable and generally planar sealinglining element carried within said cap adjacent said ridges and having a continuous depressed seal portion projecting downwardly out of the plane of said element and initially disposed entirely out of said groove in vertical alignment therewith, said seal portion being adapted to be confined entirely within said groove, said ridges being adapted to urge subjacent, limited areas of said element into pressural contact with said sealing surface to deform said seal portion upwardly into and confine it within said groove and urge it against said surface when said cap is locked on said container.

6. A sealing closure for an open mouth container having a continuous upwardly facing sealing surface adjacent its mouth, comprising:

a cap formed of a thin metal and having a central closure portion with a continuous groove adjacent its eriphery bounded by pressure ridges adapted to engage said sealing surface and opening to the interior of said cap, and a depending skirt portion; means on said skirt portion adapted to removably secure said cap on said container with said groove overlying the sealing surface on said container and with said ridges pressurally engaging said sealing surface;

and a resilient, deformable sealing-lining element carried by said cap and including a central liner portion, and a continuous projecting seal portion comprising a downwardly extending concavo-convex bead initially carried below and in alignment with the mouth of said groove and extending oppositely therefrom, said seal portion being adapted to be deformed upwardly into and confined entirely within said groove and sealingly deformed against said surface when said cap is removably secured on said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,078,132 Fergusson Apr. 20, 1937 2,079,320 Kalber May 4, 1937 2,130,749 Von Til Sept. 20, 1938 2,696,318 Kihm Dec. 7, 1954 2,829,790 A. Isele-Aregger Apr. 8, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,020,206 France Nov. 12, 1952 

1. A SEALING DEVICE FOR A CROWN-TYPE BOTTLE HAVING AN OVERHANGING LIP ADJACENT ITS MOUTH PRESENTING AN ANNULAR SHOULDER FACING OPPOSITELY FROM THE TOP OF SAID LIP, COMPRISING: A CAP FORMED OF A THIN WORKABLE MATERIAL AND HAVING A CENTRAL CLOSURE PORTION, A PERIPHERAL RAISED GROOVE PORTION DEFINING A CONTINUOUS GROOVE, AND A DEPENDING SKIRT ADAPTED FOR LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SHOULDER; AND A RESILIENT, DEFORMABLE SEALING-LINING ELEMENT CARRIED BY SAID CAP AND INCLUDING A CENTRAL LINER PORTION, A CONTINUOUS PROJECTING SEAL PORTION COMPRISING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING CONCAVO-CONVEX BEAD INITIALLY CARRIED ADJACENT THE MOUTH OF AND EXTENDING OPPOSITELY FROM SAID GROOVE, AND A PERIPHERAL LINER PORTION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID SEAL PORTION IN SUBSTANTIAL COPLANAR RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID CENTRAL LINER PORTION, SAID SEAL PORTION BEING ADAPTED TO BE CONFINED WITHIN SAID GROOVE AND SEALINGLY DEFORMED AGAINST SAID LIP DURING SAID LOCKING ENGAGEMENT OF SAID SKIRT WITH SAID SHOULDER. 